README

Dvorak-QWERTY

⚠️ This project is archived and kept for historical purposes only. It was built for Windows XP/Vista and is no longer actively maintained. Modern operating systems and tools now solve this problem natively — see the alternatives below.

What This Solved

Keyboard shortcuts like Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste are designed with the QWERTY layout in mind — they can all be performed one-handed on QWERTY, but land in awkward positions on Dvorak. This project provided Windows-only tools (circa 2005–2008) to type in Dvorak while keeping Ctrl-shortcuts in their QWERTY positions.

Use These Instead

Native OS Support (no install needed)

Most operating systems now include built-in Dvorak-QWERTY hybrid layouts:

• macOS: System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → add Dvorak-QWERTY ⌘ — typing is Dvorak, but ⌘-shortcuts stay in QWERTY positions.
• Linux: setxkbmap dvorak for standard Dvorak; use tools like KMonad or Key Mapper for hybrid Ctrl behavior.
• Windows: Built-in Dvorak layout available in Settings → Time & Language → Language → Keyboard; use AutoHotkey scripts for hybrid Ctrl behavior.

Dedicated Remapping Tools

• Karabiner-Elements (macOS) — Powerful key remapper; can enforce QWERTY shortcuts while typing in Dvorak.
• AutoHotkey (Windows) — Scripting-based remapping; popular for Dvorak-QWERTY hybrids.
• KMonad (Cross-platform) — Advanced keyboard manager with layer support.

Open-Source Projects

Hardware-Level (Firmware)

If you use a programmable keyboard (e.g., QMK/VIA-compatible), you can flash the Dvorak layout directly onto the firmware with a separate QWERTY layer for shortcuts — portable across any computer.

📦 Original Project Details (Historical)

Components

Dverty

A custom Windows keyboard layout (DLL) that behaves as standard US Dvorak but toggles to QWERTY while the Ctrl key is held down.

• Created by Jeffrey Min
• Built with Keyboard Layout Manager
• Supports 32-bit (kbdverty.dll) and 64-bit (kbdverty64.dll)
• Tested on Windows XP, Vista, and Vista x64

Installation (Dverty)

Note: For 64-bit systems, use kbdverty64.dll and dverty64.reg.

1. Copy dverty/kbdverty.dll to C:\WINDOWS\system32\
2. Run dverty/dverty.reg to add the layout to the Windows Registry
3. Reboot Windows
4. Add the layout via Control Panel:
   • Regional and Language Options → Languages tab → Details… → Add…
   • Select United States-Dvorak (Ctrl + Qwerty)

DVAssist

A Windows tray application (written in Delphi/Object Pascal) that lets you quickly switch between QWERTY and Dvorak layouts. This is a modified version of cLabs DVAssist adapted to switch between QWERTY and Dverty.

• Created by Chris Morris (cLabs)
• Licensed under the BSD License
• Uses a keyboard hook DLL (DVAHOOK.DLL) to intercept keypresses

Project Structure

????????? dverty/              # Dverty keyboard layout
???   ????????? kbdverty.dll     # 32-bit layout DLL
???   ????????? kbdverty64.dll   # 64-bit layout DLL
???   ????????? dverty.reg       # 32-bit registry entries
???   ????????? dverty64.reg     # 64-bit registry entries
???   ????????? README.txt       # Original Dverty readme
????????? dvassist/            # DVAssist layout switcher
???   ????????? src/             # Delphi source code
???   ????????? lib/             # Dependencies (clutil, DUnit)
???   ????????? bin/             # Compiled binaries
???   ????????? doc/             # Documentation & license
???   ????????? test/            # Unit tests (DUnit)
???   ????????? work/            # Development/scratch files
????????? orig/                # Original Dverty website files
????????? dverty.zip           # Dverty distributable archive
????????? DVassist.exe         # DVAssist executable (Git LFS)
????????? AUTHORS              # Original author URLs

Known Issues

• Some keys in CapsLock mode may not work correctly with Dverty.

License

• DVAssist: BSD License — see dvassist/doc/license.txt
• Dverty: See dverty/README.txt

Authors

• Jeffrey Min — Dverty keyboard layout (jeffmin.com)
• Chris Morris (cLabs) — DVAssist (clabs.org)